As is well know to those skilled in this art, an escalator comprises a plurality of steps which are progressively guided between a pair of spaced-apart skirt panels. Numerous efforts have been made to provide either a suitable interface between the lateral faces of the steps and the juxtaposed skirt panels or alternatively, to provide an appropriate resilient mask or sliding seal between these two relatively moving components. The objective of such construction should be obvious. On the one hand, safety must be considered to preclude pinching, catching or insertion of a users foot or clothing in the area between the constantly moving steps and the stationary skirt panel, while on the other hand, a mechanically clean interface must be maintained with a minimum of friction between the moving parts with provision for discouraging entry of dirt and other foreign particles there-between.
A solution to the above problem is to provide for the attachment, to each side of the steps, of removable members serving to offer a low-friction interface between the lateral portions of the steps and the juxtaposed skirt panels. Examples of such a prior arrangement will be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,719 issued Nov. 8, 1983 to White, and which depicts various configurations of members constructed of resilient plastics and which include yieldable portions biased against the adjacent skirt panels and/or resiliently clamping the tread structure of the steps to retain the members in place.